Letters From Alcatraz - Michael Esslinger [122]
In his book On the Rock, former Public Enemy Number One Alvin Karpis stated that the winter of 1937 started off with severe rains and flooding along the Sacramento River. Large pieces of debris floated down the River toward the Pacific Ocean, and the fragmented wreckage ranged from large sections of barns to dead livestock carcasses. The currents were so fierce that the debris could often clearly be seen floating swiftly past the island from the Industries Building windows. Another inmate, “Blackie” Audett, wrote in his 1954 memoir Rap Sheet that he was able to watch the two inmates as they made their entry into the bay and began their swim. He noted that he saw Roe come up out of the water several yards off the island, appearing to be struggling desperately, and attempting to stay afloat in the rough waters. Audett recalled that Roe came up and then drifted into the dense fog, never to be seen again.
Despite the dangerous fog, Warden Johnston dispatched the launch, which started a circular search pattern around the island, but found no signs of any debris from the inmates’ improvised floats. The officers in the towers searched with binoculars, but were hardly able to see much of the surrounding waters because of the thick fog. Associate Warden E.J. Miller described his actions following the escape in a December 18th, 1937 memo to Warden Johnston. He wrote in part:
We searched the area in the back of the Model Building and found where the lock on the gate where we throw the old tires through had been broke with a Stillson Wrench and the wrench was laying beside the gate also. Made a complete search of the area without finding any additional clues or signs of the men, no footprints, no clothing. The caves were searched with lights and the big cave was flooded with tear gas and in the evening with sickening gas and had men stationed to see if there was any movement or anyone came out, without result. We combed the Island thoroughly, entered all residences, inspected every nook and cranny, all along the shoreline, in the rocks, the emergency dock, the regular dock, beneath the docks, the sewers, all shrubbery, covering every inch of the island.
For several weeks after the escape there were reports that people had seen the escapees, and with the FBI leading the investigation, every lead was followed up – but with no success in locating the two men. It was believed that both men had unquestionably met their death on that foggy afternoon, but the FBI kept the investigation open, and continued their vigorous search.
Champion open-water swimmer Lisa Johnson later stated that she felt it was impossible for the men to have survived the swim during such a strong ebb tide, even using float devices. She stated that the fog alone would have caused serious disorientation because no fixed landmark references could be seen and that they would not have been able to swim on any direct route toward land. She further stated: “They were probably unable to swim back to Alcatraz once they realized that they were in grave danger. Even with my experience and conditioning, I would never have put one toe in that turbulent water.” Roe also had a debilitating factor that could have contributed to his supposed demise. It is documented in a Leavenworth report that he had a slight deformity of his right tibia, due to a serious fracture that he had sustained from a gunshot wound during his last escape attempt. It was noted that the cold weather sometimes caused “aching pains” in his leg, but this was not further substantiated, and no